Character's Name: Tsurumaru Kuninaga Character's Canon: Touken Ranbu Character's Age: Over 1000, appears in his 20s Canon Point: The end of map 7-4, "Edo" Background/History:
Touken Ranbu is one of those canons with a bunch of different media that stem from one source. I mix the sources a little since each one expands on the characters/universe with each update but here's the basic run down:
Forged around 1053 in the Heian era, he was originally a sword of the Adachi clan. He was passed down to Sadayasu Adachi, a fourteen year old boy who was killed in a political struggle against the Houjou clan. Tsurumaru was laid to rest with Sadayasu but his master's killer, Sadatoki Houjou thought the young lord's sword was so beautiful, he dug up the grave and claimed it as his own. Thus, Tsurumaru became a treasure of the Houjou clan. His stay with the clan was short, lasting only 3 generations before the Kamakura shogunate was overthrown and the Houjou clan came to a violent end at the hands of Ashikaga Takauji, the next shogun. Still Tsurumaru was not allowed to rest. Having bewitched so many people with his beauty, he continued being passed around until he was ultimately presented to Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century. Nobunaga later gifted the sword to one of his most loyal retainers who, like his master before him, died tragically.
Again, he was passed around until an unknown owner donated him to a shrine. To no one's surprise, a member of the Honami clan became enchanted with the blade and stole it. The same clan would later donate the sword to the Date clan who, in turn, would present it to the Meiji Emperor in 1901. Is is in the imperial collection that Tsurumaru found rest after being stolen and passed around for nearly the past millennia.
In 2205, a saniwa sage summons Tsurumaru's spirit to fight in a war against evil spirits trying to change the past. Tsurumaru remarks that even now, he's been passed on to someone new and he just rolls with it.
Tsurumaru appears in most versions of canon but I'll be keeping mainly to the game timeline. The animes don't really do much except showing him being sent on assignments and having fun with other characters. The stage play shows a much more balanced version of him and it's this version of Tsurumaru that gets homage in the game with special lines. He ends up assigned to a squad with with some of his long time comrades. Of note, he sacrifices himself to protect a friend and temporarily becomes a corrupt version of himself. He fights against his friends before being brought back to his senses. Since this doesn't explicitly happen in the game timeline, it won't be canon for him in RP but it's worth mentioning because Tsurumaru's canons cross over a little.
Strengths:
Cool headed. It's remarked that Tsurumaru is a cool person. He's able to keep a level head and focused mind even in the most intense battles. Even when covered in blood, he can be counted on to keep the mood light and to joke around. Part of him being cool headed comes from him just having so much experience and being so confident in his own abilities that it takes a lot to throw him off. Friendly. He's a complicated spirit but at his core, he's still a friendly person. He likes to play around and gets along with others fairly easily, even if his prankster nature can be tiresome. Because of his age, many other characters are younger than him and he looks out for others naturally. While he might not get close to others exactly, he's good at understanding others and he supports his friends. He doesn't like it when people are upset and he wants them to have fun. This leads to him having a spontaneous sort of nature around people where he can be cool one moment but a total dork the next because he wants to see everyone's surprised faces. Loyal. Tsurumaru's aesthetic is the crane and he strives to be true to his name. The crane is is a symbol of loyalty that lives for its one and only mate. While Tsurumaru doesn't have a "one and only" he is loyal to his friends and master. He'll follow orders obediently and throw himself in front of the enemy's sword without a second thought to protect his loved ones, no matter the cost. It's his loyalty to his friends that ultimately saves him from becoming a lost spirit in the stage play, pulling him back to his sense before he can fall too far.
Weaknesses:
Chilly. Whereas being cool-headed can be a strength, it can also be a boon. Because of his long, traumatic history, he can come off as a little too cool sometimes to the point he can come off as indifferent and distant. When surrounded by death and destruction, he still laughs and acts whimsically while others might be acting more grim and serious. He casually makes remarks about looking beautiful when covered in blood and how lucky others are to see him colored red like a real crane. He also tends to make some vague and rather cool remarks about people from time to time, never being surprised when people inevitably die or show their ugly sides. Even more, while he can read people fairly well, sometimes his coolness leads to him only helping others vaguely instead of directly. Loyal. He isn't the type to go turbo loyal like some characters but Tsurumaru's loyalty can lead to him holding onto things for a really long time. He has a difficult time letting things go. He was stolen from a grave over a thousand years ago and he still can't get over it, nor can he forget being stolen from his shrine. When Tsurumaru gives himself to someone, he can never give it up. This is especially bad for him because in canon, it makes him easier for the enemy to corrupt and manipulate him. Disruptive. Despite being a thousand years old, Tsurumaru loves a good prank. He's chaotic by nature and is known to be a "serial disruptor." He moves around when he's told to stay still, talks when he's told to be quiet, and if he happens to be still and quiet... you shouldn't trust him. He'll dig pit falls for people to fall into, sabotage other people's days, and say things just to get under their skin so he can see the looks on their faces. This leads to people often being exasperated with him and scolding him for not acting his real age. He thinks he's just having a good time, though, and it's this chaotic nature that leads to him loving surprises as much as he does.
Powers/Abilities:
He's a tsukumogami so he's a sword spirit. He has general spirit sense and familiarity with spirit shenanigans like being able to sense when the enemy is gathering or something is ~wrong~ in the air.
His true form is his sword and his body is secondary. Any damage to his sword is reflected on his person so if it's damaged, he'll become hurt and if it breaks, he'll die. Likewise, his human body is still important and he needs to eat and generally take care of it. His human body is just sturdier and recovers faster than the average human.
Being a sword spirit, he's naturally skilled at swords! Tsurumaru is a tachi so he's powerful but he's no good at fighting at night or in closed places.
Other Noteworthy Traits:
Sakura fubuki is a really minor thing in canon that manifests as cherry blossom petals spontaneously manifesting around them when their condition is good. It's generally accepted that it happens when they're either at peak combat status or feeling a strong, positive emotion like happiness.
In canon, it's still being teased and fleshed out but spirits can become corrupt and manipulated . It's suggested it happens if they give into and become consumed by their emotions OR if they decide to cast away their human emotions but there's also a third way: Being possessed directly. The big takeaway is even good spirits are sensitive and susceptible to becoming bad spirits if the conditions are right and Tsurumaru is one of the few characters in canon to actually go down a bad route.
Weapons & Other Special Inventory:
On his person →Tsurumaru Kuninaga. His sword! →Default outfit. It's actually... his only outfit because his casual outfit is just his regular outfit without guards and his cloak, oops. →Omamori. A protective amulet. If his sword is broken in battle, the omamori will repair it, keeping him alive. Specifically, he'll have the regular omamori so even if it doesn't help him recover completely Basically, it keeps his sword from breaking and leaves him hanging by a thread. One use only.
Not on his person: →A big jar of beads. They're leftovers from an in-game event. In game, they could be used to exchange for rewards but in Awash, it's just a big ol' jar of completely useless beads he worked really hard to help collect. He'll probably end up making a Home Alone-esque trap out of them to get some reactions.
Color: #EDE4B8 or any other pale gold color. Pale gold is the color of his default accent colors and he doesn't deserve to be red. Sample:TDM
[ OPTIONAL ] World Aspect: Time travel! Since time travel is a big element of the series, it might be cool to have some sort of time travel themed event... maybe a journey into Chroma's past where there are consequences for changing things/letting history play out the way it's supposed to? Though, I guess characters might not know how history is supposed to go so...
tsurumaru kuninaga | touken ranbu
Name: Eski
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Current Character(s): NA
Character Info
Character's Name: Tsurumaru Kuninaga
Character's Canon: Touken Ranbu
Character's Age: Over 1000, appears in his 20s
Canon Point: The end of map 7-4, "Edo"
Background/History:
Forged around 1053 in the Heian era, he was originally a sword of the Adachi clan. He was passed down to Sadayasu Adachi, a fourteen year old boy who was killed in a political struggle against the Houjou clan. Tsurumaru was laid to rest with Sadayasu but his master's killer, Sadatoki Houjou thought the young lord's sword was so beautiful, he dug up the grave and claimed it as his own. Thus, Tsurumaru became a treasure of the Houjou clan. His stay with the clan was short, lasting only 3 generations before the Kamakura shogunate was overthrown and the Houjou clan came to a violent end at the hands of Ashikaga Takauji, the next shogun. Still Tsurumaru was not allowed to rest. Having bewitched so many people with his beauty, he continued being passed around until he was ultimately presented to Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century. Nobunaga later gifted the sword to one of his most loyal retainers who, like his master before him, died tragically.
Again, he was passed around until an unknown owner donated him to a shrine. To no one's surprise, a member of the Honami clan became enchanted with the blade and stole it. The same clan would later donate the sword to the Date clan who, in turn, would present it to the Meiji Emperor in 1901. Is is in the imperial collection that Tsurumaru found rest after being stolen and passed around for nearly the past millennia.
In 2205, a saniwa sage summons Tsurumaru's spirit to fight in a war against evil spirits trying to change the past. Tsurumaru remarks that even now, he's been passed on to someone new and he just rolls with it.
Tsurumaru appears in most versions of canon but I'll be keeping mainly to the game timeline. The animes don't really do much except showing him being sent on assignments and having fun with other characters. The stage play shows a much more balanced version of him and it's this version of Tsurumaru that gets homage in the game with special lines. He ends up assigned to a squad with with some of his long time comrades. Of note, he sacrifices himself to protect a friend and temporarily becomes a corrupt version of himself. He fights against his friends before being brought back to his senses. Since this doesn't explicitly happen in the game timeline, it won't be canon for him in RP but it's worth mentioning because Tsurumaru's canons cross over a little.
Strengths:
Friendly. He's a complicated spirit but at his core, he's still a friendly person. He likes to play around and gets along with others fairly easily, even if his prankster nature can be tiresome. Because of his age, many other characters are younger than him and he looks out for others naturally. While he might not get close to others exactly, he's good at understanding others and he supports his friends. He doesn't like it when people are upset and he wants them to have fun. This leads to him having a spontaneous sort of nature around people where he can be cool one moment but a total dork the next because he wants to see everyone's surprised faces.
Loyal. Tsurumaru's aesthetic is the crane and he strives to be true to his name. The crane is is a symbol of loyalty that lives for its one and only mate. While Tsurumaru doesn't have a "one and only" he is loyal to his friends and master. He'll follow orders obediently and throw himself in front of the enemy's sword without a second thought to protect his loved ones, no matter the cost. It's his loyalty to his friends that ultimately saves him from becoming a lost spirit in the stage play, pulling him back to his sense before he can fall too far.
Weaknesses:
Loyal. He isn't the type to go turbo loyal like some characters but Tsurumaru's loyalty can lead to him holding onto things for a really long time. He has a difficult time letting things go. He was stolen from a grave over a thousand years ago and he still can't get over it, nor can he forget being stolen from his shrine. When Tsurumaru gives himself to someone, he can never give it up. This is especially bad for him because in canon, it makes him easier for the enemy to corrupt and manipulate him.
Disruptive. Despite being a thousand years old, Tsurumaru loves a good prank. He's chaotic by nature and is known to be a "serial disruptor." He moves around when he's told to stay still, talks when he's told to be quiet, and if he happens to be still and quiet... you shouldn't trust him. He'll dig pit falls for people to fall into, sabotage other people's days, and say things just to get under their skin so he can see the looks on their faces. This leads to people often being exasperated with him and scolding him for not acting his real age. He thinks he's just having a good time, though, and it's this chaotic nature that leads to him loving surprises as much as he does.
Powers/Abilities:
His true form is his sword and his body is secondary. Any damage to his sword is reflected on his person so if it's damaged, he'll become hurt and if it breaks, he'll die. Likewise, his human body is still important and he needs to eat and generally take care of it. His human body is just sturdier and recovers faster than the average human.
Being a sword spirit, he's naturally skilled at swords! Tsurumaru is a tachi so he's powerful but he's no good at fighting at night or in closed places.
Other Noteworthy Traits:
In canon, it's still being teased and fleshed out but spirits can become corrupt and manipulated . It's suggested it happens if they give into and become consumed by their emotions OR if they decide to cast away their human emotions but there's also a third way: Being possessed directly. The big takeaway is even good spirits are sensitive and susceptible to becoming bad spirits if the conditions are right and Tsurumaru is one of the few characters in canon to actually go down a bad route.
Weapons & Other Special Inventory:
→Tsurumaru Kuninaga. His sword!
→Default outfit. It's actually... his only outfit because his casual outfit is just his regular outfit without guards and his cloak, oops.
→Omamori. A protective amulet. If his sword is broken in battle, the omamori will repair it, keeping him alive. Specifically, he'll have the regular omamori so even if it doesn't help him recover completely Basically, it keeps his sword from breaking and leaves him hanging by a thread. One use only.
→A big jar of beads. They're leftovers from an in-game event. In game, they could be used to exchange for rewards but in Awash, it's just a big ol' jar of completely useless beads he worked really hard to help collect. He'll probably end up making a Home Alone-esque trap out of them to get some reactions.
Color: #EDE4B8 or any other pale gold color. Pale gold is the color of his default accent colors and he doesn't deserve to be red.
Sample: TDM
[ OPTIONAL ] World Aspect: Time travel! Since time travel is a big element of the series, it might be cool to have some sort of time travel themed event... maybe a journey into Chroma's past where there are consequences for changing things/letting history play out the way it's supposed to? Though, I guess characters might not know how history is supposed to go so...